A lot of what drove the Automats of the East Coast and West Coast was Jim Crow.

Customers didn't realize who was in the kitchen, and the kitchen didn't realize who was buying the food.

Never underestimate how people hide what they do by invisible barriers that still permit them to share food with each other.

Look at the 1960s automats - portrayed in a certain way, as if they were all white, when in practice they weren't.

Or just look at this week's Senate Confirmation Hearings to see the hidden reality of who the Senators actually are, and how little they've actually changed from the days where 2/3 of the Senate were slaveowners who imposed their will on both the Supreme Court and the free states, imposing "police".

And now look at how our restaurants are set up. Most back kitchen staff are not white, and the "ethnic specialty" servers and staff in front portray an artificial view that the entire restaurant is like them.

But, if you go by at the beginning or end of the day, you see who really works in the kitchens.

I hope that there is reference in the documentary to the PDQ Bach Concerto for Horn and Hardart.

https://youtu.be/NT6bxlnS1Is

The play on words is lost on young audiences, but is a propos for anyone interested in automats.

Enjoy!